Crimson tears
by The Lazy Fairy
Summary: Spot talks to Jack after a near-death experience. Talk of blood and death. *NEW CHAPTER*
1. Default Chapter

John 3:16-18 

Crimson Tears 

Jack watched Spot Conlon walk slowly back from Medda's to Brooklyn. He knew something was wrong with his friend and had been fore the past few weeks because Spot had been coming to Manhattan far more than usual and just 3 days ago Jack found him by the Brooklyn bridge passed out drunk. 

Jack was following Spot to see if he could figure out what was wrong. He followed spot to the Brooklyn Bridge when Spot stopped. Jack darted back into an alleyway thinking Spot had seen him. When he realized Spot had not seen his, he peeked out of the alley and saw Spot lean against the bridge rail and then climb over. Jack realized "Spot's goin' ta jump!" 

"Spot, no!" Jack ran out of his hiding place and caught Spot's wrist. " What da hell are ya doin'?" Spot's eyes were glazed over. He was drunk. 

"Endin' it all Jackie-Boy." 

"Why?" 

"Cuz life sucks" 

By then Spot had climbed back over to the other side of the railing, to stand next to Jack. 

" At least give me a good reason why ya wanna kill yer self Spot." 

"Nutin' you'd understand Jackie-Boy" 

"Yer not throwin me off dat easily. Why don't ya come back ta da lodgin' house wid me. I promise da boys won't bodder' ya." 

"Ok. I guess I will." 

*~*~*~* 

As Spot and Jack walked into the bunkroom, all the boy's bombarded them with questions. 

"Whatcha' doin' here Spot?" 

"Every ting alwright Jack?" 

Jack pushed his way through the room 

"Spot jus decided ta spent da night dat all." That answer silenced all the questions. 

*~* 

Later, after every one settled down with Spot in a spare bunk, Jack went to talk to Kid Blink. 

"Blink," Jack said, " Blink, you awake?" 

"Uh-uh. Wasamatter?" 

"Blink do me a favor will ya?" 

"Yeah shure Jack, What is it?" 

"Watch Spot for da next few days will ya? Just obsoive him an tell me if he dose anythin' strange but don't let him know yer watchin him." 

"Ok Jack. Any reason?" Blink asked 

"Just indulge me, ok?" Jack answered 

"Yeah ok." 

"Thanks" 

*~* 

The next morning Jack talked to Spot before he went out to sell papes. 

"Hey you doin ok?" Jack asked 

"Umm.. yeah I guess so, yes." Spot answered "Umm I don't think I'm gonna sell today, ok?" 

"Yeah," Jack said, "If dat's what you want. You'll be all right by yer self here?" 

"Uh-uh, I got a killa hangovah so I jus need some rest." Was Spots reply. 

"Ok well I gotta go sell now. Bye." 

Jack sold all of his usual hundred by lunchtime so he went back to the lodging house to see Spot. As Jack walked into the bunkroom Spot was not to be seen. 

"Spot?" Jack called, "Spot where are ya?" 

Jack heard a small sound coming from the bathroom so he went to investigate. "Spot is dat you?" 

Jack walked into the bathroom……..and stopped dead at the sight of the blood covered bathroom that greeted him. 

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	2. What Jack Found

John 3:16-18 

Crimson Tears: Chapter 2- What Jack Found 

Spot lay on the floor in a pool of blood where he had slit his wrists with a shaving razor. 

"Oh my gosh, Spot! What da hell did ya do dis for?" 

Spot just moaned in response. Jack bent over and scooped Spot up in his arms (for Spot was much smaller and skinnier than Jack.) and bounded down the stairs, yelling at Kloppmen "Get a doctor dammit!" 

*~* 

A half an hour later, in the bunk room, the doctor was wrapping an un-conscious Spot's wrists in gauze when Jack asked: 

"Is he gonna be ok Doc?" 

"Well that depends," the doctor answered, "He's lost a lot of blood and it looks like he hasn't eaten much lately so frankly if he survives the next week I will be pleasantly surprised." 

"Any special directions be for you go?" Kloppmen asked. 

" Yes. He will probably sleep for the next day or two so don't wake him. When he does wake up give him soup and some of these vitamins," the doctor said getting some pills out of his black bag and giving them to Kloppmen, "twice daily and get me if he gets worse." 

The doctor pushed his way out through the throng of boys that had gathered since Jack had found Spot. Jack motioned for Snipe Shooter and said, "Snipe Shootah, run ta Brooklyn an tell dem what happened an get some a Spot's stuff cuz I think he's gonna be here awhile." Snipe Shooter nodded and ran out of the lodging house. 

"All right, every body out. Ya got papes ta sell." Kloppmen yelled. Most of the boys filed out of the lodging house but David stayed behind. 

"Jack why did he do this? Just out of the blue? I don't know him very well but he doesn't seem like a suicidal type." 

"He wasn't," Jack said" until last night. Did ya know he tried ta jump off da Brooklyn Bridge last night. 

"He what?!" David gasped 

"Yeah I know. I saw him so I stopped him. I thought it was cuz he was drunk. I nevah thought he'd do somthin like dis." 

David just nodded and looked at the sleeping boy. Spot was the most powerful newsie in all of New York and yet they didn't know if he would survive the night. 

*~* 

Spot did live through the night-barely. Jack posted a rotating watch so that if Spot woke up and tried to finish the job that he almost succeeded at, some one would be there to stop him. During Jack's watch a day and a half later, Spot woke up. 

"Heya' Spot, welcome back." 

Spot tried to sit up and failed. 

"Take it easy Spot. Don't try ta get up. Ok?" 

Jack saw Spot's lips move and Jack bent down to hear Spot whispering, 

" Why didn't it work? Why?" 

Even though Spot was not asking him, Jack answered him anyway. 

"Because I was the one that found you on the floor and I wouldn't and won't let you die." 

"Bloody hell, why not?" Spot asked 

"Because you're my friend and you have more ta live for even if ya can't see it." 

Jack got up as Race walked into the room for his watch. Race's face lit up in a huge grin. 

"Heya Spot glad yer up!" 

The past few days had not been joyous ones for Jack and his newsies. All the Manhattan and Brooklyn newsies knew about the Brooklyn leader's suicide attempt. All except Les. Even though he didn't know Spot very well, Les still admired and looked up to Spot because all of the other newsies respected and listened to him. No one had the heart to tell Les that Spot was sick and maybe dying. The past two nights had been somber. A few newsies had been coming in just before lights out because they couldn't stand to see Spot lying in the bed looking small and forlorn with tape and gauze wrapped around his wrists. Race was one of these. While he slept he breathed very shallowly and the first night he stopped breathing altogether and not once but twice. But despite what every one feared, Spot lived. Over the next few days he continued to slowly get stronger. Some of the Brooklyn newsies came to see him and other than talking to them about Brooklyn matters Spot was closed and wouldn't talk to any body about what had happened, why, or any thing else. 

Days became weeks and Spot started selling again but always with a partner. Jack insisted that he stay in Manhattan for a while longer. They argued and yelled at each other but Jack won. 

One day Jack came back from a late lunch at David's to find Spot gone again. 

"Aw, crap. Not again." 

Jack found Spot on the roof but this time he was not trying to kill him self for a change. 

Jack climbed up onto the roof as the sun was beginning to set. Jack turned to face Spot and said, 

"Spot ya gotta tell me what's goin on. I know somthin happened an it's killin ya, literally. Just tell me please." 

Spot shouted "She's dead that's what happened!" 

"Who's dead?" Jack asked 

"Me little sistah." Spot whispered. 

What happened to Spot's sister? If you review you will find out! TTFN! 

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	3. Spot's Story

Crimson Tears Chapter 3: Spot's story  
  
"Little sistah?" Said Jack in surprise, "What sistah? I didn't knoa had a sistah."  
  
"I thought she was dead a long time ago." Spot sighed and started thtory of his dark past.  
  
"Ten years ago when I was six, I lived in Johnstown Pennsylvania wie muddah, faddah, two sistahs an grandfaddah. Johnstown was in a valleid a rivah right down da middle. Farther upstream da rivah was dammed up.  
One mornin da town got a telegram dat da dam had broke but da mayor saiot ta worry an dat it was just a hoax, so nobody did any thing. Well lateat day bout 3 in da afternoon der was dis sound like a million trainomin down da rivah an a huge wall a water rushed down da valley an toout most a dah town. Our house was higher up so me an my sistah Sophiurvived but me muddah, faddah, grandfaddah an younger sistah Katerina werwept away. Farther down rivah der was a bridge an all da debris clogged ugainst da bridge an stopped da flood. Dat was good but da flood had swepast railroads and steel factory's so der were some trains an razor wire iid da debris an…….people were trapped to. Some people were trapped near dop an dey got out if dey were still alive but udders like me muddah arandfaddah were alive but no one could get dem lose. I talked ta both em. Grandfaddah gave me the black and gold cane dat his faddah had giveim, sayin dat I was da man of da family so I should have it. Me Muddaave me da key she wore every day a her life. She said ta wear it next te heart so dat she would be able ta find me an look in on me from heaven.  
By den oil had leaked out from somewheres an caught on fire. Da peopltill trapped in da wreckage burned ta death. Gawd it was awful. Any way maddah's body washed ashore near da bridge and no ever found Katerina. I  
guess she lived but we didn't know dat so Sophia an I took what money would find from da house an caught a train ta Jersey City, New Jersey tind work. We found a place wid an old cook. She would let us stay wid hef Sophia helped her cook an I found a job being, of course, a newsie. Dient on fer quite some time, till I was bout seven, a year before I meou, Jack. One night Sophia was walkin back from a friends houshen….she….she was raped. Da guy didn't kill her but said if she told, hould know. She recovered but den she found out she was pregnant. Shorked as well as she could an da cook was nice. Den she started ta geizzy an fevers an stuff an one day she went inta labor. Da cook knew ittle about birthen so she helped but da baby was born dead. Sophia wayin so she told me the name a da man dat raped her. A man named James  
Scott. She knew his name cuz she had met him through one a her friends. Dehe died. She was 14. I went ta da man an told him I knew he had done it ahen I was bigger an older I would come an kill him. I know dat was stupiut I was mad.  
  
Well just a few weeks ago I got a letter. It was from Katerina. Shad only been four when da flood swept her away but somehow she survived.  
How she found me I got no idea but she said dat we should meet at da  
Brooklyn Bridge da next day at dusk. I was a little late but I was sappy. I thought all my family was dead but she was alive. As I came ta dridge I found her bleeding to death from a gun-shot wound. She was alivut not for long. She said she was glade ta finally see her brother beforhe died. I knew she was my sistah cuz she had my blue eyes, sandy browair and smirk. Wid her last breath she told me da man dat shot her waalled James Scott. Da only reason he told her was so Spot Conlon woulnow who destroyed his family. He raped Sophia cuz he knew it would kiler eventually an den he shot Katerina."  
  
By now the sun was almost set and by some trick of the light the rayf the dying sun turned the tears on Spot's face a blood crimson.  
  
"Jackie-boy I wanna get dis guy so bad but he would probably kill mo." Spot wiped the tears from his face with one sleeve and said "Thanker listening Jackie-boy."  
  
"No problem." Jack replied.  
  
"Jack I'm gonna go back ta Brooklyn tomorrah."  
  
Jack sighed and said "Ok Spot."  
  
Spot gave a wry smile and said "I guess dat's dat." And he and Jaclimbed off the roof and into the lodging house.  
  
"No Spot Conlon. That is not that" said a strange person who haecretly heard the whole exchange. 


End file.
